Loading stage for depots and the like



%1ummuuullmmll LMSJW New. 13 1923 s. OTIS LOADING STAGE FOR DEPQTS AND THE LIKE Filed July 2, 1923 8 emef 05a'6 Patented Nov. l3, I923.

htlilh'lhti SPENCER OTIS, OF BARR-INGTON, ILLINOIS.

LOADING STAG-E FOR DEPOTS AND THE LIKE.

Application filed July 2,

To aZZ whom it may come-1%:

Be it known that LSrnNcnn OTIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ban rington, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Loading Stages for Depots and the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates primarily to a loading stage for the taking on and discharging of passengers at railway depots and other places where congestion is likely to occur in traffic, although it. is adapted as well for loading and unloading freight, merchandise, or the like. 7

The objectof the invention is to facilitate arrival and departure of a number of vehic-les, independently one of another, and provide facilities whereby each may arrive and depart in its own time independently of the others so that if one vehicle is delayed in leaving .its landing it will not delay the entry or departure of other vehicles.

The invention proceeds upon the principle of constructing the platform of thelanding stage contiguous to a driveway in such a manner that its defining margin will provide a series of bays into and from any of which a vehicle may proceed by continuing forward movement, without interference with or from a vehicle occupying an adjacent bay. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the portion of the bay on the entering side thereof is employed as the loading point, and this is made substantially straight and given a general direction that is at an acute angle with the axis of the adjacent driveway, whereas the portion of the bay on the side of departure is at a considerably greater angle to the axis of the roadway and enforces in a departing vehicle a direction of movement which is substan' tially transverse to the vehicle occupying the bay in advance thereof.

Obstructing rails associated with those portions of the platform margin other than at the intended landing points insure the entry of the vehicles suiiiciently into the bays to prevent protrusion of the rear end of the vehicle into an obstructing position.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a plan view, and Figure 2 a vertical section of a landing stage embodying the several features of the invention.

1 represents the roadway which may be 1923. Serial No. ($49,184:.

in the form of a semi-ellipse, such as is frequently employed in a station drive-way, or in any other suitable form. 2 represents a platform constructed with bays 3 defined by an entry and landing portion at and a departure portion 5. Portion t is preferably straight and lies at a relatively small angle to the axis or general direction of the driveway, while the port-ion 5 is deflected at a much sharper angle to the driveway so that while a vehicle, such as shown at A, may conveniently draw alongside of the straight entry portion 4, it will be compelled to turn abruptly in regaining the driveway and thus prevented from encroaching upon or being interfered with by the vehicle occupying a bay in advance of it. I Rails or other barriers 6 placed at those portions of the margin of the platform 2 other than the portions reserved for landing, insure positioning of the vehicles in a manner to avoid obstruction of one bay from another, or an attempt to discharge or take on passengers at the abruptly curved portions of the bays.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that any one of a number of vehicles equivalent to the number of bays provided in the landing stage may enter or depart independently of all the other vehicles, so that where unavoidable delays occur in the case of any individual vehicle it will not result in holding up the entire series of vehicles and cause undue waste of time.

I claim:

1. A loading stage, comprising a driveway and a platform contiguous thereto, hav ing its defining margin constructed with a series of reentrant portions providing bays into and out of which vehicles may drive by continuing forward movement, and with projections intervening between and defining the limits of the bays.

2. A loading stage, comprising a driveway and a platform contiguous thereto,

having its defining margin constructed with a series of reentrant portions providing bays into and out of which vehicles may drive by continuing forward movement, and with projections intervening between and defining the limits of the bays; each bay being open to both entry and departure of a vehicle while an adjacent bay is occupied.

8. A loading stage, comprising a driveway and a platform contiguous thereto, having its defining margin constructed with a series of reentrant portions providing bays into and out of which vehicles may drive by continuing forward movement, and with projections intervening between and defining the limits of the bays; the departure side of a bay being shaped to enforce, in a departing vechicle, a direction past the rear end of a vehicle occupying a bay in advance thereof.

t. A loadino' stage, comprising a driveway and a platform contiguous thereto, having its defining margin constructed with a series of reentrant portions provid ing bays into and out of which vehicles may drive by continuing forward movement, and with projections intervening between and defining the limits of the bays; the portion of the platform margin defining the departure side of a bay enforcing, in a departing vehicle, a course Substantially transverse to the direction of a vehicle entering thebay in advance thereof.

5. A loading stage, comprising a driveway and a platform laterally related thereto, having its defining marginv constructed with a series of reentrant portions forming bays into and from which vehicles can pass by continuing forward movement; the entering portions of such bays being adapted forloading and discharging, and affording approach thereto in a general direction that is at an acute angle to the axis of'the driveway.

6. A loading stage, comprising a driveway and a platform laterally related thereto, having its defining margin constructed with a series of reentrant portions forming bays intoand from which vehicles can pass by continuing forward movement; the entering portions of such bays being adapted for loading and discharging, and affording approach thereto in a general direction that is at an acute angle to the axis of the drive-- way; and the departure sides of the bays being formed to enforce a direction of travel in regaining the driveway that is approximately perpendicular to said direction of entry.

7. A loading stage, comprising a driveway and a platform laterally related thereto, having its defining margin constructed with a series of reentrant portions forming bays into and from which vehicles can pass by continuing forward movment; the entering portions of such bays being adapted for loading and discharging, and lying in a straight line that is at an acute angle to the axis of the driveway.

8. A loading stage, comprising a driveway and a platform laterally related thereto, having its defining margin constructed with a series of reentrant portions forming bays into and from which vehicles can pass by continuing forward movement; the entering portions of such bays being adapted for loading and discharging, and affording approach thereto in a general direction that is at an acute angle to the axis of the driveway; and the departure sides of the bays being curved to enforce a direction of travel in regaining the driveway that is approxi mately perpendicular to said direction of entry. 1

'Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 11 day of June, 1923.

SPENCER OTIS. 

